30,000 migrants now on Greek islands, 20,000 on Lesbos: UN

A refugee from Syria prays after arriving on the shores of the Greek island of Lesbos on September 7, 2015

GENEVA - The United Nations said Tuesday there are currently some 30,000 refugees and migrants amassed on the Greek islands, with 20,000 of them on the island of Lesbos alone.

"It seems that over the weekend the numbers (of arrivals in Greece) surged and then died down," Melissa Fleming, spokeswoman for the UN refugee agency said, pointing out that there were "30,000 refugees on the Greek islands right now."